Colter's Creek Winery, Inc

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Colter’s Creek is nestled along the Potlatch River near Juliaetta, Idaho.  Once upon a time, the Potlatch River was referred to as Colter’s Creek.  John Colter was a prominent member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and as their key hunter, was vital to their survival.  Upon the discovery of the river, Lewis and Clark named it after Colter.

Drainage from the Palouse in the north forms the headwaters of the Potalatch River, which empties into the Clearwater River about a mile south of the vineyard, at their confluence.  The altitude of the vineyard is between 900 and 1100 ft., making it one of the lowest elevation vineyards in Idaho.

The steep, south-facing slopes of the river canyon coupled with the cooling effect from the river makes this a perfect site for growing grapes.

The original vines at Colter’s Creek were planted in 1986 by a local farmer named Larry Spencer.  Spencer planted an estimated 4-5 acres of grapes, including Chardonnay, Riesling, and Rkatsiteli.  The property was later sold, and the abandoned vineyard was left to survive on its own.

In the mid 1990’s, new owner Larry Kornze attempted to resurrect the vineyard.  He simultaneously planted 2-3 acres of new vines including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Gris.  Though a small crop of Chardonnay was harvested and sold in 1999, Kornze had to sell the property a few years later and was never able to harvest a crop from the new vines.

The Vineyard Today

In the winter of 2007, we bought the deserted vineyard, which had remained untouched for 5 years.  With a 90% survival rate of the neglected vines we started reworking the vineyard and making it healthy again.

Spring of 2009 3 more acres were added, comprising of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Viognier as well as test plots of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.  Some 20+ years after its birth the vineyard is now healthy and thriving.

A barn on the property was converted into the 4500-ft wine-processing facility and a cellar was added onto the winery to house the barrels of aging wine.

September of 2008 was Colter’s Creek first crush, resulting in nearly 15 tons of grapes being processed.  This marks the first commercial harvest from the 7 acres of original vines.  Additionally, 90% of the winery’s grape supply is sourced locally from the Clearwater Valley.

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